Fastener component

Abstract

An improved fastener component is mountable to a structure and is cooperable with a male threaded fastener component to permit a panel to be mounted to the structure. The improved fastener component includes a first piece mountable within a hole formed in the structure and a second piece movably disposed on the first piece. The first piece includes an elastically-deflectable support and a pair of latches disposed on the support. The second piece includes a female threaded nut and a pair of tabs that extend outwardly in opposed directions from the nut. The tabs are movably disposed in windows formed in the first piece. The first piece mounted to the structure permits the second piece to be movable within a plane yet resists movement of the second piece away from the plane.

1 . A fastener component that is structured to be mounted to a structure having an opening formed therein, the structure having a structure surface, the opening extending into the structure adjacent the structure surface, the fastener component comprising: 
 a first piece having a support and a having pair of latches disposed on the support;    the first piece having a pair of windows formed therein;    the support being elastically deflectable, whereby the latches are elastically deflectable generally toward one another;    a second piece having a nut and a pair of tabs, the tabs protruding outwardly from the nut;    the tabs extending through the windows and being movably disposed therein;    each latch having a leg and a lip;    the legs extending generally away from the support and being structured to extend through the opening formed in the structure; and    the lips protruding from the legs and being structured to be engageable with the structure surface to resist unintended movement of the nut away from the structure.    
   
   
       2 . The fastener component of  claim 1  wherein the first piece includes a pair of platforms.  
   
   
       3 . The fastener component of  claim 2  wherein the platforms are disposed on and protrude from the support.  
   
   
       4 . The fastener component of  claim 3  wherein the legs are disposed on the platforms.  
   
   
       5 . The fastener component of  claim 4  wherein the legs each include a first end and a second end, the first ends being disposed on the platforms, the lips being disposed generally at the second ends generally opposite the support.  
   
   
       6 . The fastener component of  claim 5  wherein the lips extend generally away from one another.  
   
   
       7 . The fastener component of  claim 4  wherein the legs extend in a direction generally away from the platforms.  
   
   
       8 . The fastener component of  claim 7  wherein the first piece is structured to receive the structure substantially interposed between the pair of platforms and the pair of lips.  
   
   
       9 . The fastener component of  claim 2  wherein the windows are disposed in the vicinity of the latches.  
   
   
       10 . The fastener component of  claim 2  wherein the windows are formed in the support adjacent the platforms.  
   
   
       11 . The fastener component of  claim 10  wherein the platforms are disposed generally between the tabs and the legs.  
   
   
       12 . The fastener component of  claim 2  wherein the platforms extend from the support generally toward one another.  
   
   
       13 . The fastener component of  claim 1  wherein the first piece includes an anti-rotation protrusion extending away from the support.  
   
   
       14 . The fastener component of  claim 13  wherein the anti-rotation protrusion and the legs extend in a common direction generally away from the support.  
   
   
       15 . The fastener component of  claim 1  wherein the legs are oriented generally parallel with one another.  
   
   
       16 . The fastener component of  claim 1  wherein each leg includes an engagement surface, the support in an elastically deflected condition being structured to bias the engagement surfaces into engagement with opposed portions of the structure within the opening.  
   
   
       17 . The fastener component of  claim 1  wherein the first piece includes a pair of wings disposed on the support, one of the wings being disposed adjacent one of the latches, the other of the wings being disposed adjacent the other of the latches, the wings being manually engageable for elastically deflecting the support.  
   
   
       18 . The fastener component of  claim 17  wherein the support is a generally U-shaped structure having a pair of free ends, the free ends being elastically deflectable generally toward one another, one of the latches and one of the wings being disposed generally at one of the free ends, the other of the latches and the other of the wings being disposed generally at the other of the free ends.  
   
   
       19 . The fastener component of  claim 1  wherein the support is elastically deflectable from a free state toward an elastically deflected state, the tabs being disposed in the windows when the support is in the free state.  
   
   
       20 . The fastener component of  claim 19  wherein the support in an elastically deflected condition biases the latches generally away from one another.  
   
   
       21 . The fastener component of  claim 1  wherein the tabs are disposed in diametrically opposed positions on the nut and extend in opposite radial directions away from the nut.  
   
   
       22 . The fastener component of  claim 21  wherein the nut has a substantially annular nut surface that is engageable with the platforms.  
   
   
       23 . The fastener component of  claim 22  wherein the tabs are engageable with the platforms.  
   
   
       24 . The fastener component of  claim 23  wherein the tabs each include a tab surface, the nut surface and the tab surface being substantially coplanar.  
   
   
       25 . The fastener component of  claim 24  wherein the tab surface are substantially contiguous with the nut surface.  
   
   
       26 . The fastener component of  claim 1  wherein the second piece is movable substantially within a plane and wherein movement of the second piece away from the plane is resisted.  
   
   
       27 . The fastener component of  claim 1  wherein the fastener component is made at least partially of aluminum.